Improvement in machine for sewing the uppers to the soles of boots and shoes



3 SheetsSheet 1. M. JSTEIN.

Machine for Sewing the Uppers to the Soles of Bootsand Shoes.

Patented Sept- 8, 1868.

3 Sheets -Sheet 2.

M. JLSTElN. Machine for Sewing the Uppers to the Soles'of Bootsand Shoes.

Patented Sept. 8, 1868.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

M. J STEIN. Machine for Sewing the Up'pers to the- Soles of Boats and Shops No. 81,956.

Patented Sept. 8, 1868.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

MICHAEL JOSEPH STEIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT 1N MACHINE FOR SEWING THE UPPERS TO THE SOLES 0F BOOTS AND SHOES.

Specification forming part or Letters Patent No. 81,956, dated September 8, 1868.

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL J OSEPII STEIN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have in vented certain new and useful improvements in Machinery for Sewing the Uppers to the Soles of Shoes and Boots; and I do here by declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1. is a front elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3, a top view, Fig. i a side view, and Fig. 5 a bottom view, drawn full size, of the needle and cast-off, with their stocks connected, and l i (i and 7, side and back elevations, drawn full size, of the rests for guiding the needle, represented in connection with the guide and the stock by which they are connected with the sewing mechaniism; and Fig. 8, a section of the flue and thread-guides.

The same letters indicate like'pa-rts in all the figures. I

My said invent-ion relates to improvements on machinery for scwin g the uppers to the soles of shoes and boots, described in Letters Patent-of the United States grant-ed tome, and bearing date the 9th day of May, 1365.

In the accompanying drawings, (1- represents a suitable frame, and I) a movable table, on which the last-holder crest and moves. This table is flat, and fitted to slide up and down on the vertical posts of the frame, and rests on-four eccentric rollers, (I- d (I (1, arranged in pairs on two parallel shafts, c 0, one near the front and the othcr'near the back of the said table. The two eccentrics on the front shaft are connected, byjoint linksff, with the two eccentrics on the rear shaft, so that when the front shaft is turnml by a crank-hamlle or other suitable means, the two will turn in unison and set the table either higher or lower. The object of having the table adjustable in height is not only to suit shoes and lasts of dilferent sizes, but also lasts of different curvature on the surface of the sole; as it is important that the needle should enter the leather of the solo at the bottom of the inner channel 9', (see Fig. 6,) and come out at the angle of the outer channel [1, and hence, as lastsofdiilerent cnrva ture and height are put into the machine, the height of the table relatively to the sewing mechanism must be so adjusted that the neodle will enter the leather of the sole at the bottom of the inner channel and come out at the bottom or an gle of the outer channel. In some instances the leather for the sole is not prepared with a groove or outer channel, such as represented in the drawings; but in such cases it is equally important that the needle should come out at a proper and like distance between the upper and lower surfaces. The last-holder c isa carriage, which rests on the surface of the table I) so as to-slide thereon in any direc: tion required, and if desirable to relieve friction, it may be provided with rollers or small wheels. There is a hole made in the upper part of the last to fit a perpendicular stud, j, on the carriage, and when the last is turned sole upward, and forced down on this stud, a

crutch, k, attached to the carriage, is thenforced up by a screw against the toe-part or the last to brace and hold it firmly to the carriage. The whole of the sewing mechanism is mount-ed on a plate, I, the rear part of which is free to vibrate on the cam-shaftm, which is to be rotated in the direction of the arrow by any suitable motor. The forward end of this plate is guided in its movements up and down by the vertical side pieces of the frame; and it is suspended by a strap, a, to the periphery of a wheel, 0, (see dotted lines in Fig. 1,) on' a short shaft, 12, provided with a crank-handle, g, which is held by a spring-catcl1,-r, when the mechanism is to be held up when a shoe is to be removed and another substituted but after a shoe and last-holder are put into the ma chine, the spring-catch r is pushed back to liberate the crank-handle q and permit the mechanism to rest by its weight on the sole of the boot or shoe to be sewed, that it maybe free to follow the undulations thereof. A metal stoclr, s, (see Figs. 6 and 7,). is firmly secured to the plate I, and so formed, as represented, to extend down some distance below the under surface of the said plate. To the front part of this stock is hinged the upper end of an arm, t, and the inner face of the lower end of this arm forms the gauge 11., against which the edge of the sole of the shoe tobe sewed is pressed to guide it selativelyto the needle as it is moved along by the feeder. (See Fig. 6.) This guide has a hole, r, through it for the passage of the point ofthe needle, and

another hole for the passage of a threaded stem, w, which projects from the stock s, and

which is provided with a nut, w, by means of which the said gauge can be adjusted to the distance between the bottom of the channel 9 and the outer edge of the sole and the upper lying against it. There are two rests, y'and z, fitted to slide vertically, one on each side of the said stock 8. They are hinged at their upper ends to across-balance lever, a, that is free to vibrate on a fulcrum-pin, b (see Fig. 7,) secured to the stock, so that when either of the rests rises or descends, the other must move to an equal extent in the opposite direction. The lower ends of thcse'rests are formed to rest on the sole c of the shoe to be sewed, so that it can slide under them, and as they rest on the sole, and are borne down by the weight of the plate l and the mechanism attached thereto, as the sole passes under tlrem they will adapt themselyes to the undulations of the sole, and as the needle, to be presently described, works midway between the two, and in the plane of their under surface in any position which they may assume in following the undulations of the sole, they effectually guide the needle so that it shall at all times be at the required elevation to enter the leather of the sole at the right place,which is the bottom of the in-,

ner channel g-previously formed in the sole.

In the-machine described in the patent heretofore granted to me there are two such rests .mounted, and having a mode of operation such as above described, but both formed like the ,one' g to enter, and, with their beveled edges, to bear against the bottom of the inner channel 9 of the sole, and to perform, in addition to the duty above described, the further oflices of keeping the channel open and ofrcsi'sting' the pull of the needlein tightening the stitch during its back movement. So constructed, these rests presented the following difliculties: To admit of sewing around the usual curves at the heel and toe, the two rests require to be within a short distance of each fother; for if placed too far apart the curved parts of the sole could not pass between them and the gauge, and when placed within a practicalidistance to avoid this difliculty, the one on the oil side conflicts with the loop of the thread which connects the last formed stitch with the one which is being formed.-

Two such instruments are indispensable to the guiding of the needle-that its point may enter at the bottom of the channel in following the undulations of the sole; but for all other purposes om only is necessary. My

present improvement consists in so forming the one, z, on the oil side, that it shall stand back some distance from the bottom of the channel, but; so that it shall rest on the surface of the sole; the purpose oi a balance to the one which rests against the bottom oi" the channel, that the. poi nt of the needle may be properly guided along to follow the undulations of the sole, while at the same time it avoids all conflict In this way it is made to answer with the loop of thread and admits of sewing along any curve, however small, and even around an angle, as in sewing square toe shoes.

. The needle 0 (see Figs. 4 and 5) is curved and made concentric on its inner concave lace, and eccentric on its outer face, and

therefore thicker toward the stock than to ward the point. The object of this is manifold. In the first place, a needle of such form can be made of the required strength to act as an awl in piercing the leather. In the second place, the body of the needle in passing into the leather enlarges the hole the size required for the free'passage of the needle-hook with its new loop of thread on the return motion, and this is effected without serious strain to the needle. In the third place, it avoids the straining of that part of the leather under which the needle passes, as no part of the leather can be strained which is above the needle, no part of its inner curved surface being at a less distance from the axis-of ibration than the point, and hencethe hole must be enlarged by the outer or eccentric surface of the needle, compressing the body ofthe leather. And, lastly, on the back motion of the needle the previouslyformed loop of thread lies under the convex surface of the needle, and if the said loop should be griped between the needle and the leather the back motion of the needle would fail to draw the stitch tight; but by making the needle with its outer sur face eccentric, as it moves back the loop of thread is liberated, thereby permitting the stitch to be drawn tight. The needle is made flat and in the plane of motion on the side of the cast-01f f and the cast-ofl is made of like form, that the faces of the two may work in contact, but without any interlocking tongue and groove, so that in tightening the stitch the needle may spring independently of the 'cast-oii'. The said cast-off is pointed that when it advances to cover the hook of the needle it may enter the leather easily to close the book before it, (the hook,) on the back motion of the needle, reaches the loop which is to be cast oft;

and as this loop is at the time lying on the surface of the sole, and below the needle and cast-off, it is important that the castoii' should be bronghtto a point from the under side, otherwise in ad\ ancing to close the hook of the needle its point would be liable to catch onto the thread of the loop, particularly in sewing along the Lip-grade, as on one sidoalong the shank of the solo from the heel pa rt for- \vard, where the surface of the solc inclincs upward.

The needle 0 secured by having the rear end of its shai'ik inserted in a hole in a stock, g, (see Fig. 5,) and there secured by a temperscrcw, h, and the cast-oli'f' is in like manner secured to a similar stock, I. The needlestock and the cast-oii stock are both mounted on fulcrum-pin, j, so as to vibrate ihcncpn, and the inner faces of both the needle and the cast-0d are concentric with this fulcrum-pin,

and their outer surfaces eccentric; and the contiguous faces of both are flat and move in contact one with the other. These two stocks 9 and i are received in a recess in one arm of a bent lever, h and connected therewith by the fulcrum-pin j, and this bent lever k is mounted in two hangers, 6 I the axis of vibration being back of the fulcrum-pin j and a little below the horizontal plane thereof, for a purpose to be presently described.

The in-and-out motions of the needle are derived from an eccentric, m on the shaft m. The rod n from the eccentric is connected with one arm of a lever, 0 and the other arm of the said lever is connected with the needlestock by a connecting-rod, 1), (see Fig. 4.) The motions of the cast-oft are derived from a cam, 1 (see dotted lines in Fig. 2,) on the same shaft, which cam acts on one arm of a lever, T the other arm of which is connected with the stock 1' of the cast-off by means of a connecting-rod, .9 (see Fig. 4,) a spring, t beiug employed to keep the said lever r in contact with the periphery of the cam.

The periods of the relative motions of the needle and cast-off are determined bythe form of the cam g and its positionrela-tively to the eccentric m and these are such, as represented, that the needle advances a certain distance while the cast-off stands still, to allow the loop to get out of the hook of the needle, and then the cast-01f follows the needle in its forward motion to get betweenthe loop so liberated and the hook, and that its point may enter the leather a short distance and there stop. The needle, in its continued forward motion, then passes through the leather until its hook is carried suihciently through the material and the hole c in the outside gauge 21. to receive the thread, which is delivered in to the hook by the thread-carrier. The needle then moves back, drawing the thread through the material, and as soon as the hook is covered by the casnot'f the two move together to the end of the back motion. The new loop of thread being inclosed by the cast-off in the hook of the needle, it is drawn through the previouslyformed loop, which, by the continued back motion, is drawn in to tighten the previouslyformed stitch.

As the needle passes in and through the leather its point has what may be termed a depressing inotion -that is to say, as it advances its axis of vibration is depressed, and on the return motion lifted. To effect this motion the rear arm a of the bent lever k before described, is hinged to the short arm of a lever, 'u, (see Fig. 2,) that works on a fulcrumpin, '2 and the other arm is provided with a pin titted to a cam-groove, 20 (see red lines in Fig. 2,) in the face of a cam-wheel, .112 on the shaft m, the said .canrgroove being formed and located on the shaft, as represented in red lines in Fig. 2, so that the fulcrum-pin, on which the stocks of the needle and cast-off vibrate, will be depressed as the point of the needle is passing through the leather, and elevated as the needle is returning.

The'threadf passes through an eye in the thread-carrier 3 (see Figs. 6 and 7,) which vibrates on a fulcrum-pin, z, on the gauge a, before described, through which the thread also passes 5 and the oiiice of this carrier is to carry the thread so that it may be caught by the hook of the needle. To do this the carrier is vibrated to pass from one side of the needle under it and around to the other side, a short distance above the needle, as the needle is advancing, that the thread may enter the hook of the needle, and then it moves back again. To accomplish this the carrier is connected, by a rod, (1?, with a vertical slide, b the upper end of which is formed with a double beveled projection, 0 and to the side of the rod 1 which connects the stock 9 of the needle with the lever 0 which operates it, there is hinged a spring-dog, (1 (see Fig. 6,) beveled on the upper and lower side, like the projection c on the slide 11 which operates the thread-carrier, so that as the needle is being forced forward the spring-dog (Z will depress the slide 1) to vibrate thecarrier, which is immediately drawn back by the tension of a spring, 6 that acts on the slide Z) to lift it as soon as the springdog (1 has passed. The thread f from a spool,

{1 mounted on the plate 1, passes over a guide, W, and down through a flue, 2 attached to and so that it may move with the plate l, and around another guide, j, at the lower end of this flue, and from this to and through the eye of the thread-carrier before described. The front plate of this line i is hinged, to give ac cess to the thread. I prefer to make this flue of a gradual taper, and with the lower end considerably enlarged. To the lower end of this due is suspended a lamp, k, with a conical cap, 1 over the burner; this cap having two branchpipes, m one to direct the heat into the flue i to gradually heat the wax on the thread as it is descending, and the other to direct the heat to the eye of the threadca-rrier y to prevent the wax from clogging the said eye, which is a matter important to the practical working of the machine.

To adapt the machine to the sewin gof welted shoes or boots there is combined with the sewing mechanism a welt-guide, n which consistsof a mortise of suliicient size to receive and permit the welt, which is a strip of leather, 0 (see Fig. 1,) to pass through. A spring, 11 is attached to the arm of the guide to press the welt against the inner face of the guidingmortise. The arm of this guide is placed by the side of the sewing mechanism and as near to the needle as the other parts of the machine will permit. It is hinged by its upper end to the stock 8, so as to be self-adapting in position.

After the welt has been introduced and the first stitch taken the strip of welt will be drawn through the guide-mortise, as wanted, by the feeding motion applied to the sole. As it is hinged to the machine, as before stated, when the machine is used for sewing turned shoes it is turned up out of the way.

In the patented machine before referred to, the feeding-pawl acted on the surface of the solo on the last, with its undulations, in the usual manner of a feeding-pawl, which resulted in making stitches of unusual length. When acting on a surface inclining upward back of, the feeding-pawl, the ieeder-imparted a shorter motion than when acting on a level surface, and when acting against a'reverse inclined surfaile it gave a greater feeding-motion than "when acting on a level surface. This was a serious defect, which I have remedied by the present improvement, which consists in providing tlie-1ee(li1ig-pa\vl g with a pin, 1- or equivalent projections from the sides thereof, not far from the place where the pawl is hinged to the lever s", from which it receives its reciprocatin g motion. These projecting pins work in cam-like slots t (see Fig.1,) in the lower' end of a hanger, u, the slots being of such form that when the pawl acts on an upward inclination, approaching, as at 422, (see Fig. 9,) it will act on the solethrongh the whole throw of its acting lever. When it acts on a level part of the sole, as at 4.0 in moving back and forth, the pins ride part of the way on the lower part of the cam-slot, so that the acting point of the pawl clears the sole for a part of the throw of the lever, and after the required range of lost motion has been attained the pawl then acts on the sole, and continues so to act, giving the required extent of motion to space the stitch and in acting on a reversed inclined surface, as at ;t'-, during the back and forward motions, the pins ride on the bottom of the slot for a greater portion of the throw of the lever, that there may be more lostmotion. In this way, by the form of the cam-slots, the pawl is made to act on the sole through the whole of its range of motion, when acting up grade, to lose part of its motion in working on the level surface, and to lose still more when acting on a reversed or down grade, thereby spacing the stitches equally along the whole of the undulating surface of the sole. The upper end of the lever .swhich actuates the feedingpawl is hinged to a standard, 1/, (see Fig.3,) of the plate l, and this lever isconnected by a rod, with onearm oi a lever, (0 (seedEig. 3,) which vibrates horizontally on a fulcrum-phiattached to the under side of the plate 1, the other arm of the said lever being acted upon by a cam-groove, I), (see Fig. 3,) on the shaft m, and as this lever receives at all times an equal range of motion, and it is desirable at times to vary the spacing at the stitches, the rod z instead of being hinged to the lever a, passes through a hole in the said lever, and is provided with an :nljusting-nut, 0 so that the lever (15 gives the feeding motion to the pawl by striking the nut c on the rod 1:", and the feeding-pawl. is drawn back by a spring, 61, so that the range oi feeding motion can be regulated by the set of the nut c. It is also important to be able to adjust the position of the feeding-pawl relatively tothe caurslots t that the range of lost motion and the position of the point of the pawl relatively to the rest may be adjusted. To accomplish this the sairhcaurslots are formed in the lower end of the hanger ad, which is hinged by its-upper end to the same standard, to which the lever s is hinged, and that end of the connecting-rod 2 which is hinged to the lever s which operates the feedingpawl, is slotted to embrace the hanger a. Back of the hanger a there is a set-screw, 0 which acts as a stop to the back motion of the hanger. When the spring 61 pulls back the feeding-hand the hanger a is drawn back, at the same time, by the back of the cam-slot strikin g the-pin r on the pawl until stopped by the set-screw 0 so that the range of the lost motion of the feedin g-pawl can be adjusted by one set-screw, and the range of direct motion adjusted by the nut 0 Having described and represented the mode of construction which I have tried in reducing to practical success my said invent-ion'of improvements in machinery for sewing so es to the uppers of shoes and boots which are to be turned after being sewed, and also the manner in which the machinery is adapted to the sewing of the upper and welt to an inner sole for boots and shoes which are not to be turned, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit my claim of invention to such specific'niode of construction, as that may be changed without departing from the characteristic features which *distinguish my said invention from all other things known.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, in machinery for sewing shoes and boots I. In combination with the needle and the sell ada-pting rest, which is to rest and ride on the sole of the shoe or boot that is being sewed, and which is'to bear against the bottom of the inner channel cut in the leather to resist the pull of the needle, a second rest, so formed that it shall rest and ride on the surface of the sole that in sewing it may not interfere with the loop of thread, the two being connected, and havingmmode of operation in connection with the needle, substantially as herein described.

2. Thecurved needle, when made and mounted so that its inner curved surface is coucentrio with its axis of vibration. and eccentric on its outer surface, substantiallyas and for the purpose specified.

3. The pointed cast oi'tf, with its outer sur face eccentric, iireoinbination with the needle,

the contiguous surfaces of the two being ilat, and both being mounted so that they shall work in contact, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. Attaching the lamp and. its ca and the line through which the thread passes, to the movable plate which carries the sewing-mechanism, substantially as described, that the means for heating and guiding the thread may be always in the same relative position, as set forth.

5. The feeding-pawl, with its projections, Working in cam-formed recesses, 01 the equivalent thereof, having alike mode of operation, in combination with the movable table, on which the last-holder moves, or the equivalent thereof, by means of which combination the feedingpawl spaces the stitches equally, notwithstanding it acts on the undulating surface of the solo, as described.

(3. The welt-guide, substantially such as described, in combination with the mechanism, or the equivalent thereof, for guiding the sole on the last relatively to the sewing-mechanism,

as described.

M. J STEIN.

Witnesses:

WM. H. BISHOP, A. DE LACY. 

